Charmed by Chase

by Theresa Paolo

“Wait until you try her cupcakes. You’ll not only love her but hate her.”

  “I have no doubt. I can already feel my pants getting tighter, and I haven’t even had a taste yet.”

  “I used to treat myself once a week to her scone because it’s the best thing I’ve ever tasted. But now that we’re family, my control has been completely lost especially since she shows up to every dinner and family function with a box of something amazing. I’m still trying to lose the last ten pounds of my baby weight and Theo is almost a year old.”

  “Oh stop. You look amazing.”

  Bex looked at the tray, her eyes gliding over all the choices, and settled on the chocolate chip Frappuccino. She picked up the fork and took a generous piece onto her plate before bringing it to her mouth.

  If heaven could be a food, it would be this cupcake. Bex closed her eyes savoring the rich chocolate goodness. “Oh my god, this should be illegal,” Bex finally said.

  “Cooper’s grandmother once referred to it as a chocolate orgasm.”

  Bex practically choked on the last bit of cupcake. “She sounds hilarious.”

  “She is, but enough about that. I want to know more about Chase and your date.”

  “We haven’t made plans yet. He has to call me first.”

  “Okay,” Sarah said, but there was something in her eyes that made Bex think she had more to say.

  “What is it?” she asked. “I feel like you’re not telling me something.”

  Sarah put her fork down and smiled, but it didn’t fully form. “Like I said, Chase is a good guy. He just hasn’t always had it easy.

  “And you don’t want me to hurt him.”

  Sarah shrugged. “We take care of our own in this town, and I might be stepping over my boundaries, but I just…I don’t want to see either of you hurt.”

  “It’s just dinner,” Bex said. “It’s not like I’m going to marry the guy.”

  “If I had a dollar for every time someone said that.” Her smile spread wide. “I’d be able to afford all these weddings I have coming up.”

  “Speaking of weddings… when are you getting married?”

  Sarah and Cooper had been together for a while now with two kids. As far as Bex knew, they had every intention of getting married, but Cooper had never actually proposed.

  Sarah just smiled, taking a big bite of the lemon blueberry cupcake. “It’s a mystery,” she said, but by the happy spark that ignited in her dark eyes Bex assumed it wasn’t a mystery at all.

  Chapter 5

  The piece of paper Bex had given him kept summoning his name, but Chase didn’t want to come across desperate and call too soon. Why didn’t he just make a date with her before she walked away? It would have saved him his sanity. He didn’t even know why he was making a big deal out of it. Up until that morning he looked at her as nothing more than a crazy cat lady, but then she stopped by the firehouse in too tight jeans and a shirt that dipped just enough to let him know that whatever was beneath it was worth every minute of his lost sanity.

  Rebecca showed a different side of herself when she showed up bearing a gift in hand. She was friendlier yet vulnerable, a far cry from the crazy cat lady he first met. He had worked as a fireman for years and on occasion someone would bring a gift of appreciation but it was a rare occurrence, one which he never much thought about.

  It was his job to serve the community, but he had to admit to be acknowledged was nice. And the fact that she was some big celebrity, yet still took time out of her day to extend an olive branch, it showed him a lot about her character. More than he could say about the owner of that first cat rescue. Left with scars and a bruised ego, and the owner barely muttered a thank you before disappearing into the house with her creature from hell. Maybe he should text her. Or was a text too informal? Before he could make a decision, the paper was plucked out of his hand. His younger sister Brooke breezed by him, coming to a stop against the counter. “What’s this?” she asked, looking down at the paper. A devilish smile spread across her face. “Or should I say who is this?”

  He got up from the kitchen chair and walked toward her. “None of your business,” he said. He went to grab the paper out of her hand, but the girl was quick and dove under him, coming to a stop on the other side of the kitchen. “Give it back.”

  “Not until you give me some answers.”

  “I told you… it’s none of your business.”

  He lunged at her this time, and she let out a squeak and darted back to the other side of the kitchen.

  “Brooke, I’m not playing. Give it back.”

  “She must be pretty special if you’re trying to keep her identity hidden.”

  He loved his sister to death, would do anything for her, but she was also a master manipulator who knew every button to push. On top of that, she was as nosy as they came. She managed to have her nose in everyone’s business, and if she didn’t know the latest gossip, she wouldn’t waste any time trying to find it out.

  Rebecca seemed pretty clear about keeping her location private, and he was afraid if he told Brooke, she would be unable to help herself and blab it to anyone who would listen.

  He lunged at her, getting her in a headlock. She let out a string of loud pitch noises as she tried to wrestle out of his hold. She gave him a nice elbow to the stomach that had him momentarily lose his breath.

  “What the hell is going on in here?” Layla, their older sister demanded. She was wearing her usual uniform of purple scrubs and white sneakers. Her dark brown hair was pulled back in a bun, and the bags under her eyes from many late-night shifts were more evident than usual. If Chase had to guess, she just woke up after a few hours of sleep and was heading back to the nursing home.

  “She started it,” Chase said.

  “He’s keeping secrets!”

  “I thought once you two hit your twenties you would grow out of this crap,” she said, walking over to the coffee pot and pouring herself a very large cup. She took a sip, the tension in her shoulders easing. A grateful smile played at her lips then pushed into a flat line as she looked at Chase. “Seriously, Chase, you’re twenty-six, a respected fireman of the community. Why are you putting your twenty-four-year-old sister in a headlock?”

  He glanced at Layla, ready to argue, but one look at her face and it was like he was fourteen again. The argument got lost on his tongue and sizzled before reaching his lips. “She’s a pain in my ass,” he finally said.

  “What’s new?” Layla asked.

  “Hey!” Brooke exclaimed. “Don’t take his side.”

  Layla took another sip of her coffee and turned to Brooke. “Go ahead. Tell me you’re not a pain in the ass.”

  Brooke fluttered her long eyelashes, that devilish smile forming. “I have good reason. He’s hiding something.”

  Layla didn’t say anything, but she didn’t have to. With one look they both knew exactly what she was thinking.

  “He has a girl’s number, and he won’t tell me who it is.”

  “Because it’s none of your business.”

  “Chase is right,” Layla said to Brooke. “Get over it.”

  Brooke scoffed as a knock came at the door.

  “It’s open,” Layla called out.

  The front door opened and closed, and a few seconds later Terry appeared in the doorway, holding up two to-go bags from her restaurant The Happy Apple.

  “I have food!” she announced.

  Ever since their mom died in a car accident when Chase was fourteen Terry had stopped by at least three times a week with bags of food. She always told them it was food she’d just have to throw out, and instead of wasting it she’d rather give it to them.

  Back in those tough times when Layla was twenty years old, taking on a household of two hormonal teenagers while their brother Jax joined the military to send money home, it was a life saver. Without Terry’s unexpected deliveries, they might have gone nights with little to nothing to eat.

  Even after they got back up on their feet an
d were able to get by, Terry wouldn’t let them turn her away. For ten years she never missed a delivery.

  Terry’s big red hair barely moved as she teetered into the kitchen on sky high heels. Chase had always been amazed that the woman, now in her late sixties, could walk in those contraptions. A black top sat over a pair of leopard print pants and her lips were painted bright red as were her nails.

  She placed the bags on the counter and turned to Chase, a knowing gleam in her eyes.

  “What?” he asked.

  “I heard you and that actress were looking kind of cozy outside the firehouse this morning.”

  Chase didn’t even ask how Terry knew. The woman was up on town gossip before it even happened. He swore that Brooke worshipped her ways and was trying to crack that code so she could follow in her footsteps.

  “It was nothing.”

  “Actress?” Brooke said, and Chase watched as the pieces fell together in her mind. “Oh my god! Is that the mystery girl? You have Bex Shepard’s number?”

  Chase ran a hand across the back of his neck, rubbing away the sudden tension. “So what? Rebecca gave me her number. It’s not a big deal.”

  “Rebecca?” Brooke asked. “According to Hollywood Gossipmonger only her family and closest friends call her Rebecca.”

  Chase opened his mouth then snapped it shut. He didn’t really know what to say to that. She had introduced herself as Rebecca, and it just seemed to fit her better. None of that mattered right now. The only thing that did matter was that Brooke kept her mouth shut. “You have to promise me you won’t go spreading this around. She doesn’t want people to know she’s here.”

  Brooke snorted. “Can’t imagine why.”

  “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “You really need to step into the twenty-first century and join social media.”

  “That’ll never happen, so either say what I know you’re dying to say or let it go.”

  “She’s well known in the gossip columns. Maybe a little too well known. If I was involved in such a scandal, I would have disappeared, too.”

  “What scandal?” Chase asked.

  “Oh you know. It’s nothing.”

  He wanted to lunge at Brooke again, put her back into a headlock, but with Layla and Terry standing watch he controlled his childish instincts. “Then it’s nothing,” he said, but his fingers itched to pull out his phone and search her name. But wouldn’t that be invasion of privacy? Just because she was a celebrity didn’t give him the right to look up her life story. If the tables were reversed he would despise anyone who would dig into his past.

  Brooke smirked, her gray eyes staring him down. “Then I won’t tell you how she got caught with drugs in her car, got arrested, and had nude photos leaked all across the internet. I have to say… she has a really nice body.”

  Chase’s fingers curled at his side, an unexplained anger taking form and boiling his blood.

  “I got to go. Bye.” Brooke slapped the piece of paper against his chest then gave a dainty wave as if she didn’t just drop a massive bombshell. She practically skipped out of the kitchen, and all Chase could do was stare after her.

  He stood there for several seconds, frozen in place, a prisoner to the silence when Terry finally spoke, knocking him back into reality.

  “Nothing wrong with a little scandal,” she said. “At least you know she’ll never be boring.” Terry opened one of the containers and shoved it at him. “Here, have a porkchop.”

  He took the container and went to sit down at the table when his phone vibrated in his pocket. He slid it out and looked at the same number that he’d been staring at for the last twenty minutes before Brooke had ripped it out of his hands.

  He answered.

  “Hi Chase. Sorry to bother you, but I have a problem.”

  “I have to go,” Chase said to Layla and Terry.

  “Oh,” Terry said then turned to the counter, grabbing a bag. “Here take this for the road. I’m sure you can find someone to share it with.”

  She gave him a wink and pushed him toward the door, proving his point that she had a way of knowing things before they even happened.

  ***

  Bex loved her cat, but she swore to all that was holy if he got stuck in one more tree she was going to leave him there. It was bad enough she had to call Chase, but she didn’t know who else to call. She had called the firehouse, but he wasn’t there so she asked the man on the other end for Chase’s number. Technically she could have just told the man about her problem and had him send someone, but the truth was, she wanted to see Chase.

  They might have started out on the wrong foot but after he apologized for his less than stellar behavior she found him quite charming and not to mention rugged and sexy.

  He hadn’t called her yet, and she was growing impatient. She wasn’t used to sitting around waiting for people. If she wanted something she could have it within seconds. Chase making her wait was torture and also made her want to see him all the more.

  About fifteen minutes after her phone call, he pulled up onto the property. He put his black pickup into park and hopped out of the driver side. His dark gray eyes met her as he made his way over. He was in a white t-shirt fitted to perfection and a pair of jeans. He moved with pure masculinity that had her mentally fanning herself.

  He came to a stop in front of her and nodded up to the tree. “You thought I was kidding about the leash,” he said, but there was a touch of humor in his tone. His lip twitched at the corner, and she wanted to know how much it would take to get him to fully smile.

  “How about this?” she said. “I’ll get Willy a leash if you’ll let me put one on you.”

  “That’s not happening,” he said.

  “Then I suggest you go get your ladder.” She wasn’t as good at hiding her amusement, and a full-fledged smile spread wide across her face.

  “Just know… the only reason I’m doing this is because I feel bad about how I acted. But this is the last time.”

  “Agreed,” she said. “I will keep a better eye on Willy when I open the door. It’s just that damn squirrel. I think he has a little crush.”

  “A crush?” Chase laughed. “More like he’s prowling for his next meal.”

  Bex gasped. “Willy would never.”

  “Why?” Chase asked. “Is that below his standards?”

  Bex tilted her head and a perturbed eyebrow lifted. “No, it has nothing to do with that. He would never hurt an innocent creature.”

  “It’s in his nature.”

  “Not my Willy.”

  “I’ll go get the ladder,” Chase said.

  He pulled a ladder from the bed of his pickup truck and placed it against the tree. “If he scratches me…” Chase said as he stepped up onto the first wrung then the next.

  “He won’t,” Bex said, admiring the view from the ground. “Just don’t sneak up on him again.” She held the ladder, not bothering to ask. She didn’t want to have another repeat of yesterday.

  Now that she knew Chase wasn’t a jerk, she didn’t want to see him hurt. When he reached Willy, he was much more soothing in his attempt. He spoke first before reaching.

  “Hey boy. I’m going to help you get back down. You cool with that?” he asked.

  Willy turned to him. His one blue eye lazily taking Chase in. It was as if he gave a silent nod and Chase finally reached out, taking Willy into his arms. Everything was running so smoothly when that damn squirrel ran across the bottom of the tree and Willy went to leap.

  “Oh no!” Bex exclaimed.

  Chase wrestled with Willy, holding him tight. His footing wavered, and Bex gasped as every worst-case scenario played out in her mind. What if he fell and got hurt? It would be all her fault.

  But Chase, obviously having done this before, managed to get back down on the ground safely. He handed her Willy and shook his head, letting out a loud breath of what she could only assume was relief.

  “I am so sorry. I swear that squirrel is taun
ting him.”

  “It’s fine,” Chase said, but there was an edge to his voice.

  Bex blinked up, her eyes catching on the red spot on his white shirt. “Oh no, you’re bleeding.”

  Chase pulled at the sleeve of his shirt and glanced down. “That cat of yours has some sharp claws.”

  “I am so sorry. Come in the house. I saw a first aid kit in one of the drawers.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “You’re bleeding.”

  “Nothing I can’t handle.”

  “It would make me feel better if I could just look at it and put a band-aid on it.”

  “Are you a nurse that I don’t know about?” he asked.

  “I played one in a movie once. Low budget independent film. The critics loved it.”

  “I don’t know if that’s the qualifications I’m looking for.”

  “Well, it’s all you’re going to get so come on.”

  “Hang on,” he said, turning away from her and heading back to his truck. She hugged Willy close to her in fear that squirrel would randomly pop up again. If he did, she’d be ready this time.

  Chase opened his truck door and leaned in. Her head tilted as she stared after him. He finally straightened and pulled out a big bag. He walked back toward her and held the bag up. A sexy smirk formed on his face, and she could feel it down to her very core.

  “I owe you dinner.”

  “You do,” she managed.

  “Then what do you say?”

  She didn’t know this guy from a hole in the wall, but something about him made her feel as if she could trust him. He wasn’t like the guys in Hollywood who wanted to use her to get ahead in their own careers. Arm candy would guarantee to get them in all the most read tabloids. He was just a guy who wanted to have dinner with her. How was she supposed to say no to that?

  She walked up the two porch steps and opened the door. “Come in,” she said.

  Chase followed her up the stairs and walked right past her invisible wall and into her life.

  Chapter 6

  “This is the best meal I have had in a long time,” Rebecca said, closing her eyes and groaning over each bite.